Hi: I had posted earlier about this Gold coloured plane i spotted in DEL. I managed to get some useful information about the aircraft type and who may be using it currently.
But as u can see from the photograph, it says National Paints on the side and is Gold!
Does anyone have any clue about why its painted in these colours. Does it belong to National Paints? Or is it just advertising for the company?
The plane was with a Soviet airline in Kyrgyzshtan and is in freighter configuration. It used to have a military role, and as in Russia such aircraft have passenger use also.
Belongs to National Paints with its headquarters in Sharjah, and founded in 1969 in Amman, Jordan. National Paints is the largest paint consortium in the Middle East with an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons and more than $200 million in annual sales. It has around 54 distribution centres worldwide. Product range is decorative paints, industrial paints and marine yacht paints as acrylic, polyurethane, water based and powder coating.
Main offices/factories/distribution points are in Doha-Qatar, Cairo-Egypt, Al Khartoum-Sudan, Bishkek-Kyrgyzstan, Tashkent-Uzbekistan, Almaty-Kazakhstan and Moscow-Russia.
Which is where the clue is!!
Plane comes in from the Bishek-Kyrgyzstan, Sharjah and then Delhi. The co. is in negotations in India in connection with the "Admiral Gorshkov, third aircraft carrier deal and other navy deals. Also linked to counter trade agreements signed in connection with certain defence deals.
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Many of the freighter services being run by airlines around India get their aircraft from Kyrgystan. Sri Lankan uses a similar aircraft for a freighter service from India (Coimbatore) to Dubai via Colombo. Crew are Russian (Kyrgyzs) and its doing very well. Mainly lifts light machinery, textiles and leather goods from South India for the Gulf and Russia.
Crew holiday regularly in Goa. Common knowledge that Goa is a favourite spot for the Russian underworld and business tycoons and arms dealers. And the bill is footed by ______ ( no clues). (Information given by manager of one of the five star resorts in Goa).